Lüderitz
Aus settlement is finally getting rid of the outdated bucket toilet system.
The recently inaugurated new sewage treatment plant, worth N$9 million, is set to drastically improve the quality of life of people in the area.
Opening the plant last week the Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Derek Klazen, said there is no one in the country that supports the use of the bucket toilet system, as it derives from the colonial era and is unacceptable in modern Namibia.
He said the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development would assist in any way possible to rid the country of the outdated ablution facilities. “We need to eradicate this phenomenon from our society. No Namibian would like this system to continue and none of us would like to live in such circumstances,” Klazen said.
The //Karas Regional Council, with funds from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, contracted engineering firm Worley Parsons to construct the new sewage treatment plant.
Apart from the construction of the new sewage plant, about 20 households are the beneficiaries of new toilets built recently under the same project.
The deputy minister, however, explained that due to financial constraints, it was unfortunate that the entire settlement could not benefit immediately from this project. He gave assurances though that the remainder of houses would benefit from the upgrade in the course of the 2016-2019 Medium Term Economic Framework.
Klazen also urged local residents to appreciate the contribution of the Anglo-American Foundation to the //Karas Region, as the foundation recently renovated the clinic at Aus, built a three-tier mortuary cabinet and also established a bakery at the settlement.
At the same occasion, the Constituency Councillor of Nami#nus, Jan Scholtz, stated that a group of angry Aus residents had staged a peaceful protest demonstration on August 17 – which converged at the settlement office – to show their frustration over the continued reliance on the bucket toilet system.
He said it is their right as Namibian citizens to protest, but pointed out that the government works under the constraint of a national budget – and even though residents in the south may feel that development is coming to their areas too slow, it is definitely taking place.
Aus has a population of about 12 000, including children. It also has a primary school catering for children up to Grade 7. Additionally it has a health centre – that was constructed after independence.
Aus is situated about 112 km west of Lüderitz in the !Nami#nus Constituency and formed part of the peri-urban municipal system until 1990. It was proclaimed a village in 1992, but was later demoted to the status of a settlement and placed under the authority of the //Karas Regional Council.